Movie Analysis : ' Hercules '

Fairy tales are magical stories about fantasized beings and happy endings. They are told orally and are also found in a literal form. Disney was one of the milestones in the American history of fairy tale stories. With out Walt Disney there would not be more than 70 years of “classy cartoons”. Not only Americans are influenced by these fairy tales, we can conclude that over 50% of the world has an idea of this “American dream” of life that is portrayed.

In the realm of entertainment, Disney leads the way with creativity, bringing to life fairytales and stories that only the most imaginative child could come up with. Children of all ages, teenagers, and adults leave the theater of a Disney movie inspired, empowered, and entranced by the magic and wonder brought about.

Hercules is thought to be one of the world’s greatest hero. There are children’s movies about him, but they all have a happy ending. Hercules, originally born “Heracles” lived a short cruel, yet heroic life. “The 12 Herculean tasks he performed over a period of 12 years have been immortalized in everything from classical poetry to Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion.” (French 1). Hercules, in Greek mythology, was a hero known for his strength and courage and for his legendary adventures. Hercules is the Roman name for the Greek hero Heracles. He was the son of the god Zeus and a human mother Alcmene, wife of the Theban general Amphitryon. Hera, Zeus' jealous wife, was determined to kill Hercules, and after Hercules was born, she

In the film, “Hercules”, there were many comedic characters incorporated. The creators of this movie wanted and needed to incorporate things to make it popular to the masses, therefore they added things like love and comedy. In this case they added characters like Pegasus, Phil, Pain, and Panic. However in the myths there is no need to incorporate any comedic relief because these were written to give us an accurate dictation of the Greek Gods and Goddesses and all of their tales. Therefore they needed to be gorey, painful, and difficult. While the Disney version needed to appeal to the masses and capture their attention right

Disney films are more than just magical fairytales. They are gateways back into our childhoods where dragons needed to be defeated and where fairy godmothers granted our deepest desires. These magical films also encourages little girls to feel confident about themselves.

Authors, poets, and film directors have all used ancient stories to create new pieces of literature and film works for modern times. The animated Disney film Hercules (1997) and the myth of Hercules share the background of audience-driven narratives; however, Disney's aspiration to fill the theaters and earn money results in an unblemished narrative, while the original myth portrays an imperfect model to a flawed humanity.

The Disney Hercules is born of the Olympian gods, Zeus and Hera, after which he is kidnapped by Hades, the ruler of the underworld, who wishes to overthrow Zeus and usurp this throne. However, he needs Hercules out of the way first. Although Hades' plan to kill Hercules in infancy fails, Hercules is turned into a mortal on earth, where he is left feeling like an outcast. After Hercules leaves his (unbeknownst to him) adoptive parents to find his destiny, he discovers his true origins and strives to return to Olympus by becoming a true hero. But to do this, he must first learn what it means to be a "true hero" while overcoming the obstacles that Hades throws his way. Although this plot is entertaining to younger audiences, it deviates from the original myth, according to which Heracles was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman (a demi-god). In addition, neither was Heracles kidnapped by Hades, nor did Hades want to overthrow Zeus; he submitted to Zeus and sought pleasure in ruling the Underworld. Accordingly, Disney chose to represent Hades as the antagonist in this movie due to his role as leading the Underworld. Although the Underworld was not correlated to Hell in any way, the stereotypical idea of the Underworld being a symbol of evil was still present. Therefore, Disney's choice of casting Hades as the evil character in this movie is justified as a Hercules has to defeat some kind of evil before emerging as a

Both in the story and the movie Hercules does risk his life many times to protect those he cares for. These each lessons on how in order to move forward in life one must make sacrifices to become a bigger person. If Disney's goal was to deliver the message to kids and adults I feel that even

Another change in these two stories, is the personality traits that Hercules portrays. Both stories have the same basic personality concepts of Hercules being immensely strong, but dangerously clumsy, having genuine simplicity, and having anger issues. In the Disney version, he is humble, kind, an outcast, and feared by many because of his great strength. His main goal is to fit in and feel welcomed into society. However, in the original version of this story, “Hercules was the strongest man on earth and he had the supreme self-confidence magnificent physical strength gives” (Hamilton). On top of his conceit, he was well loved by many. Disney made these changes to his personality to show kids that everyone can fit in. This promotes a self-confidence in children at a young age, so no matter what they’re struggling with, they feel like they can still fit in and overcome it. American society today loves to see the underdog succeed. In many modern American stories, an outcast with a comeback is a popular plot, and the Disney version of Hercules is no different. In Ancient Greek society, a hero with an outstanding personality, that

Disney’s Hercules depicts the classic mythical tale of the infamous demi god. Evil Hades, Hercules grows up on Earth but has godly strength from which he doesn't know originates. When he discovers his immortal heritage, Zeus calls him to return to Mount Olympus to become the champion he is destined to be. Eventually, Hercules evolves to be a famous hero with the help of Pegasus and Phil the satyr. Through his journey he takes on mythical monsters, Titans, and Hades. In the end it is his sacrifice that make him a true hero.

Greek mythology is very fascinating at times, but it can also be very confusing. The Greeks have a lot of different gods and goddesses with different names, parents, and skills to remember. Greek mythology can become ridiculously complicated. Disney created a movie that focuses on just one character, Hercules, to help children further understand mythology. The movie is called Hercules, and it is based on “Heraclês”, a Greek hero. Although Hercules, the movie, is based on the myth, they actually have two very different meanings. In the movie some of the major differences are that there is heroism, family values, and simplification.

Perhaps, the reasons these films are so popular and influential to children is simply because their focus is directed distinctively towards them. Each character in Disney films possesses a distinct personality wherein children who watches these films may tend to characterize themselves as the character also.

Then, he is suddenly forced into an unknown environment; a huge difference between his regular circumstances and his new one is established (Vogler). Hercules, who is the hero of the film Hercules, is presented as the baby of loving parents and Greek gods Zeus and Hera, who reside on Mount Olympus. Zeus creates a winged horse named Pegasus, since he wants Hercules to have a friend. Everything in their life is perfect. However, baby Hercules is unexpectedly stolen in the middle of the night by Pain and Panic, the devious minions of the wicked Hades (Hercules). They almost take Hercules’ powers after they give him a mystical potion. A loving couple, Amphytryon and Alcmene, discover Hercules all alone and decides to adopt him. Hercules grows to be a young man, but the citizens of his town despise him and call him a freak because of his strange power. Hercules’ ordinary world is composed of all these events.

The idea of heroismhas been traced back to centuries of years throughout history. Greek Mythology is the father of this concept of heroism and this concept has continued to grow and develop through stories, writings, and films over the years. Humans have always been intrigued with the idea of heroism which is why many movies, books, and stories are written after this very idea. In Linda Seger’s “Creating the Myth”, she argues there are 10-points into creating every “hero myth”, using Luke Skywalker in Star Wars as her hero myth example; in the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry follows Seger’s 10-point system of creating a

The myth of the Greek hero Hercules and the one seen in the Disney movie have a lot of differences, but also some similarities. For example, one difference is in the Disney movie Hercules only performed 7 labors, but in the Greek myth Hercules had to complete 12 labors. However, a similarity is that in both versions Hercules had to endure the hero’s journey. There are many other differences and similarities worth mentioning.